LIFE// My Birthday

My birthday was a little over a week ago now and it was really great. my parents were really generpus and bought me, Prada and Jean Paul Gaultier aftershave along with my iPhone 5 and a new pair of black 510s as well as some money to go shopping with, which I've spent on a really nice bonded cotton jacket which I'll save for outfit posts and the suede brogues you can see above, as well as a few other things.

my friends were so generous as well, from the lot I ended up getting a beautiful soft yellow check shirt from Cos, a white textured jumper from Zara, some all black converse, a mug (better than it sounds), Tom Ford Black Orchid, two bottles of Vodka, a book called Fashion Scandinavia, that I've had my eye on since fashion week and some all white  Air Force Ones and the new Justin Timberlake album from my girlfriend. I'm also told there is more to come...

All in all a great 18th birthday...

STYLE// Brand Appreciation: COS

"PERFECTLY BALANCED IN EVERY SINGLE ASPECT"

I attended an interview for Fashion Buying at De Montfort University today and I was asked the question "Do you have a favourite high street store and if so why?".

The answer was immediately obvious; COS. COS represents everything Menswear should be, it's timeless and classical but in no way boring, it doesn't try hard to adhere to every whim of the fickle fashion world and as such has one of the most concise brand images on the high street.

It's effortless but not sloppy, timeless but not boring, mature but not stuffy. In as few words as possible it is perfectly balanced in every single aspect

OUTFITS// Brutalist Blue

Collar Tip Shirt // Topman // Old

Squared Neck Jumper //  COS // £69

Wool Bike Jacket // COS // No longer for Sale

510s // Levi's // £80

Elites // Nike // £45

What I love about this outfit are it's subtle nuances, like the different shades of blue, or the different ways the jacket can be worn, taking it from peacoat to biker jacket, or the way the collar tips align perfectly with the squared neck on the jumper.

STYLE// Spring Wishlist

1 - COS // COS

2 - WEEKDAY

3 - ZARA

4 - COS

5 - A.P.C.

6 - CHEAP MONDAY

 Spring is my favourite season, partly because of the sun and the fact that it's not TOO warm but mostly because it starts with my birthday! Meaning that I may actually stand a chance of getting these clothes... Also I've noticed that most the brands I like are either Swedish or French lately (and expensive) only one item on my wishlist isn't from a swedish/french brand.

OUTFITS// Scandinavian Winter

Coat // Cheap Monday // £15 (so lucky in the summer sales)

Shirt // DIY [here] // N/A

Turtleneck // Cos // £18

Skinny Trousers // Topman // Old

Shoes // Nike Elites // £45

Watch // Hugo Boss // £135

Normally at this point of the year, people my age are praying for snow every night and groaning every morning because we have another college day, but nevertheless, this year we've experienced a scandinavian winter because of something to do with the North Atlantic Jet Stream (I have no idea if I'm honest), making for some nice winter outfit photos and six day long weekend.

OUTFITS// Aquamarine + Quilted

So I decided to brave the street directly outside my house for my outfit photo today, felt a little weird and embarrassing but life is hard for a fashion blogger.

I think my new lens really makes the photos better

STYLE// A Blue Christmas

Christmas Outfits are usually littered with clichés of red and green or ugly christmas jumpers and that is all part of the charm I suppose and what is a christmas outfit without them. This year however I wanna try something a little different so I think I'm gonna abandon any ideas of red in my outfit and go with blue.

STYLE// Winter Wishlist

I really don't know what draws me to the first item, but I just am so it's a bit of an indulgence really, I'll probably never wear it. The other items are pretty much within my usual aesthetic, I've been after a decent pair of leather boots for a while, my bargain suede H&M one's are barely holding together at this point although for the price they've lasted surprisingly well. I'm often drawn to blues and blacks at this time of the year and am really loving the Matte & Sheen trend for Winter 2012 which is why I like the two Jumpers. The black jeans have been a long time coming, I have a pair already but they fit awfully, have faded slightly, are just overall bad quality, I wouldn't recommend them, they are stretch skinny ones from Topman, the ones I want that are pictured above are Cheap Monday, so should hopefully fare better.

STYLE// Wishlist

Roll Neck T-Shirt / Cos / £39

Roll Neck T-Shirt / Cos / £35

Cheap Monday Double T-Shirt / Asos / £25

Reclaimed Vintage Dip-Bleach Shirt / Asos / £48